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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Economic security for the middle class and access to free contraception as an essential part of women’s health care were major issues that dominated speeches and conversations at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

“Yes, our path is harder — but it leads to a better place,” said President Barack Obama in a Sept. 6 address as he accepted his party’s nomination for re-election.

Obama outlined an ambitious agenda for his second term, pledging to “create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years,” improve and expand access to education, expand clean-energy options, bolster national security and “reduce” the national deficit “without wrecking our middle class.”

That visionary agenda, he suggested, was threatened by policies advanced by his Republican opponents, “Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry or control health-care choices that women should make for themselves.”

The president’s speech was originally planned to be held in the Bank of America Stadium, but the threat of inclement weather led convention organizers to move it to the indoor Time Warner Cable Arena, where other convention speakers had addressed the delegates.

Weak employment numbers and the downgrading of the nation’s credit rating have cast a pall over the president’s re-election prospects. Throughout the three-day convention, speakers sought to defend their candidate’s record, while portraying his GOP opponents, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, as disconnected politicians who want to give tax credits to the wealthy and leave struggling Americans to fend for themselves with deep spending cuts into programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Each speaker, from first lady Michelle Obama to former President Bill Clinton, made the case for the president’s re-election. They asserted that he had successfully reversed the economic crisis and was now laying the foundation for a more equitable system that provided opportunity for all, not just the wealthy.

Michelle Obama painted a picture of her husband as a compassionate man who can relate to the needs and interests of average Americans, saying that the past four years testified to his character and conviction.

In her Sept. 4 speech, Mrs. Obama told Americans: “We can trust Barack to do what he says he’s going to do, even when it’s hard.” She said that her husband “doesn’t care whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican or none of the above,” and, instead, he is “always looking for the very best in everyone he meets.”

President Clinton fired up the crowd on Sept. 5 with a 48-minute speech that described President Obama as a competent leader whose efforts to revive a devastated economy have been hampered by Republicans’ unwillingness to cooperate.

“No president — not me; not any of my predecessors — no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years,” Clinton said, adding that the current president has created millions of jobs and is “still committed to constructive cooperation.”

Obama needs more time to accomplish his goals of building up America as “a nation of shared opportunities, shared responsibilities, shared prosperity, a shared sense of community,” he said.

Vice President Joe Biden preceded Obama’s address, offering a speech that praised his running mate’s courageous decisions to order the attack that killed Osama bin Laden and bail out the American automobile industry.

“We now find ourselves at the hinge of history. And the direction we turn is in your hands,” said Biden. “The journey of hope is not yet finished, but we are on our way.”

Women’s health care was among the most prominent topics at the convention, particularly the controversial Health and Human Services mandate that requires employers to offer co-pay-free birth control to employees in their health-care plans.

The mandate has drawn criticism from the U.S. bishops and other faith leaders who say it poses an unprecedented threat to the free exercise of church-affiliated institutions.

However, the mandate was praised by numerous abortion-rights advocates who used their prime-time speaking slots to attack Republican efforts to provide conscience protections and bar federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

“He would overturn Roe v. Wade and sign into law a wave of outrageous restrictions on a woman’s ability to make decisions about her pregnancy,” she said.

Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, cautioned against “politicians who want to end access to birth control” and said that Romney is trying to “turn the clock back on a century of progress.”

Romney and Ryan “are committed to ending insurance coverage for birth control” and want to “turn women’s health-care decisions over to our bosses,” she claimed.

Law student Sandra Fluke echoed this argument, warning of “extreme, bigoted voices” in the Republican Party.

Fluke has been a notable figure in the birth-control debate since she testified in February before House Democrats to defend the contraception mandate and attack the anti-contraception policies of Georgetown University, where she attends law school. Georgetown, a Jesuit institution, bars the inclusion of contraception from its student health plan, but students who are prescribed contraception for medical reasons can get a prescription, and law students like Fluke can opt for an alternative health plan that provides contraception.

Further, despite the drumbeat of rhetoric attacking the GOP’s platform on women, the Republican Party platform does not seek a ban on birth control. Rather, party leaders say they would repeal the mandate that requires it to be offered for free, returning to pre-mandate policies that allow companies and individuals to purchase contraception as they see fit.

GOP leaders, in turn, have charged that Democrats are the extreme party, adopting a platform opposed to any restrictions or limitations on abortion and arguing that President Obama “has not respected the principle of religious liberty” in requiring free contraception to be included in health-insurance plans.

The Democratic platform also came under scrutiny during the convention for removing the single reference to God. The statement called for a government that gives “everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential.”

After the reference to God was removed, a furor ensued, with the blogosphere lighting up with arguments on both sides. Ultimately, after three ambiguous voice votes, the reference to God was reinserted into the platform.

In addition, the party’s platform garnered attention for its unprecedented support for the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex unions.

References to “marriage equality” were scattered throughout the three days of the convention, but the prime-time speakers did not give the subject a heavy emphasis.

Despite speculation that Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who recently married his male partner, would highlight the issue in his Sept. 6 address, the Massachusetts congressman focused on economic issues.

However, at a smaller caucus of “LGBT” delegates and supporters earlier in the day, Frank spoke very directly about the party’s endorsement of “gay marriage,” saying that the Democratic Party has become the party of the “gay movement.”

Other caucus speakers said the redefinition of marriage was “inevitable.” They insisted that they would not be content with civil unions but would demand the full recognition of “gay marriage.”

“There’s no such thing as halfway to justice,” said Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J.

Among the most notable Catholic voices at the convention was Sister Simone Campbell, who heads the social-justice lobby Network and led the “Nuns on the Bus” tour to protest Paul Ryan’s federal budget proposal.

Sister Simone criticized Republicans for failing to acknowledge the shared responsibility of Americans to care for their neighbors by securing funds for federal social programs. She applauded the president’s economic, health care and Medicaid policies.

“This is part of my pro-life stance and the right thing to do,” she said.

The convention also featured celebrity appearances by actresses Kerry Washington, Scarlett Johansson and Eva Longoria, who voiced approval for Obama’s economic policies and financial support of Planned Parenthood.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholics Bishops, offered the final benediction to conclude the convention.

He prayed for the nation’s leaders and for all Americans, as well as for immigrants, the poor and those struggling to find work.

“Renew in all of our people a respect for religious freedom in full, that first, most cherished freedom,” he added.

The cardinal, who also offered the closing benediction at the Republican National Convention, prayed for “those yet to be born” and for a respect for “the laws of nature and nature’s God.”

He also prayed, “May you mend our every flaw, confirming our soul in self-control, our liberty in law.”

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Comments

Let’s keep in mind that President Obama had 2 years to do almost anything he wanted when Democrates had the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition, Obama had 6 months to do WHATEVER HE WANTED when he had the supermajority (filibuster-proof) of Democrats in the House and Senate. So, blaming Republicans sounds kind of silly.

Posted by GAP on Thursday, Sep 13, 2012 12:43 PM (EDT):

Maybe he sounded presidential but he didnt know the facts… He spoke when he didnt know the situation. surely content is more important than sounding presidential. Especially when, as president, the speeches he makes move markets, influence people, affect populations of countries all across the world. and BTW I think the word you’re looking for is prospective.

Posted by CeCi Castillo on Thursday, Sep 13, 2012 12:21 PM (EDT):

Robert you and the people you spoke with are delusional. Romney has a big mouth and talks big but doesn’t have the guts to back up his words because he is a constant flip flopper. Whatsmore, even Republicans were criticizing Romney for jumping the gun and not verifying his information before blasting President Obama on this new crisis with Egypt and Libya. Fox News released recent polls last night and they show that President Obama leads Romney by 48%. For someone who dodged the draft during the Viet Nam War by hiding out in a chateau in France pretending to be a Mormon Missionary, he sure is anxious to send our kids into a war with Iran just so he and his wealthy cronies can make more money on their blood. At least President Obama wants to use diplomacy instead of putting our military into harms way.

Posted by Robert on Wednesday, Sep 12, 2012 11:15 PM (EDT):

You’re quite wrong there CeCi, most of us want to know how a perspective president would handle a situation like this and people I talked to today were very impressed, he looked and sounded very presidential, much more than the current president.

Posted by CeCi Castillo on Wednesday, Sep 12, 2012 7:38 PM (EDT):

Well folks your favorite Republican candidate Mitt Romney is literally handing President Obama the election on a silver platter due to his big mouth over the latest crisis in Libya and Egypt. Good Luck

Posted by Kenny on Wednesday, Sep 12, 2012 5:35 PM (EDT):

Robert, don’t you realize that, as a group, the American Catholic bishops are Democrats before they are true Catholics, at least true Catholics per official church doctrine & tradition.

Our spineless bishops want to get along with the modern world instead of confronting it. That’s why they tolerate when so-called Catholics like Kennedy, Biden, etc. etc. try to square abortion with the circle of Catholic faith.

But god forbid you petition them for more Latin Masses. Then, because such petitioners are just regular people, the almighty bishops will puff up come down on them like a ton of bricks.

The best you can say for the average bishop and cardinal is that he may think that he’s doing good—just like Judas did. But in actuality, they are are undermining the faith of millions and with but a few exceptions, are a disgrace to their office.

Posted by GAP on Wednesday, Sep 12, 2012 4:48 PM (EDT):

Where is the religious freedom for those who don’t believe that contraception is a sin? Just because the GOP believes in promoting policies that are consistent with your beliefs does not mean they are for all religious freedom. Can we not respect the beauty of human kind to think for themselves and form their own beliefs and opinions and allow all americans the freedom of religious expression?

Posted by GAP on Wednesday, Sep 12, 2012 4:01 PM (EDT):

Abortion mills and homosexual bath houses? When you use extremist rhetoric like this, it destroys any point you hope to make. People, and rightly so, will pigeonhole you and your opinions as the ill-conceived rantings of a narrow-minded fundamentalist.

Posted by Bob Rowland on Wednesday, Sep 12, 2012 1:40 PM (EDT):

The platform of the Democrat Part of Death makes is perfectly clear that the coming election is a choice between good and evil. A choice to preserve the Republic our founder’s willed to us or for only the second time in my 85 years that I have feared that the goal of Obama to destroy America might succeed. The first time was when he was elected to fulfill the 1936 prophecy of Norman Thomas who said socialists would take over our nation without firing a shot. If traitorous Democrat voters prevail in this election my military career and the lives of all those who have fought and died to uphold and preserve the Declaration of Independence and Constitution will have been in vain and the American dream will become a nightmare worthy to be relegated to the scrap heaps of history along with all failed tyrannical philosophies that have been the bane of humanity since history began.

Posted by Robert on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012 11:44 PM (EDT):

I would like to think some Bishop, Cardinal or somebody in leadership of the Church would have spoke out about about these dissentient catholic- Sister Simonen, Caroline Kennedy and others who spoke of their Catholic faith as their reason for supporting abortion rights. When no one calls them out, those on the fence who still want to vote for the pro-abortion party justify their vote as just fine with the church.

Posted by cthlc12345 on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012 5:03 PM (EDT):

The Obamacare requirement that organizations cover abortifacients and contraceptives in their healthcare plans could be a veiled attempt to eliminate Catholic organizations. That’s why we need to vote for conservative Republican Congressmen, Senators, and President.
The voting records of Republican politicians clearly indicate far more active support for religious freedom and protection of the unborn than the voting records of Democrats.

Posted by Sherry on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012 10:46 AM (EDT):

Sister Simone Campbell was “above her pay grade” in giving the perception that she was speaking on behalf of the U.S. Catholic Bishops - against Paul Ryan. And, based on her unwillingness to support the Catholic position on abortion, she was the cause of scandal.

And, it may interest her to know that many “pro-lifers” who pray outside abortion clinics also work in soup kitchens and homeless shelters - and give generously to many charities - and, believe that Paul Ryan has great respect for every human being as made in the image and likeness of God - and deserves a chance to live a more meaningful life than being totally dependent on the government. He also recognizes that the problems are not all economic.

It really saddens me that so many of the speakers at the DNC convention in Charlotte focused on womens’ “rights” and “entitlements” relative to abortion - but failed to appreciate that those babies who are ripped from the womb are cruelly and painfully being denied their rights as persons.

Posted by Kevin Rahe on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012 10:19 AM (EDT):

Contraception, sterilization and abortifacient pills are not health care. I have a hard time taking seriously the position of someone who cannot even honestly represent the nature of what they’re arguing for.

Posted by rosemarie kury on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012 10:15 AM (EDT):

I also saw Kathleen Kennedy misrepresenting Catholics and Catholic women in general, calling for abortion rights for all women. She also mentioned states that that banned abortion clinics, and said “she didn’t want her daughters brought up like this.” This convention in all was disgraceful. Trying to eliminate God from the party, and with three denials (like Peter) calls to minds unseen evil forces dominating this party. I would advise all of the “women” who berated the Republicans for being against women, to examine their consciences and since some of these do have money, maybe move to a country where abortion and same sex marriage is legal. I do believe that Canada has both of these and Britain. I for one encourage everyone to donate to NOM and pro-life sources, and mainly to pray for these women and the Dem party’s conversion. Meanwhile please pray for the future of this country.

Posted by Kenny on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012 10:11 AM (EDT):

The policies and platform of the Democratic Party are the antithesis of the middle class.

the Democrats represent leftism with its burning desire for state control over all aspects of people’s lives.

An example of what this election is about is the current public school teacher strike in Chicago. As over compensated as they already are, the unions are striking for more money and to protect the incompetents among their ranks.

And such unions—along with the abortion mills and homosexual bath houses—are today’s Democratic Party

Posted by Lucy M Dartley on Monday, Sep 10, 2012 11:11 PM (EDT):

Sister Simone Campbell was the speaker at the DNC that most offended me as a Catholic and a women. Her statements about her prolife stance was obvious that her faith formation does not reflect authentic Catholic teaching. Never, has it been considered that the poor should be taken care of via the government.The Affordable Care Act proposes that contraceptives and certain drugs that cause an early abortion should be provided by Catholic Institutions. It also plans to use taxpayer dollars.How could a nun with any knowledge of the Catholic faith accept and applaud a plan that deeply violates one of the most basic tenants of Holy Mother Church. Sister Campbell must be called to account for giving such scandal.She has organized other nuns,to travel by bus,to deliver a message to discredit the Republican VP candidate, Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. Clearly, she is misrepresenting the true values and faith of the Catholic Church.Something must be done to stop it.

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